Westland man pleads guilty in church theft

A Westland man pleaded guilty Wednesday in Lenawee County Circuit Court to a felony charge stemming from an Oct. 7 break-in and theft from a Cambridge Township church.

Jonathan Edward-Donald Morris, 25, said he and two other men used a pry bar to get into the Crosspointe Church, 13191 M-50. Television sets and a computer were stolen.

Co-defendant Joseph Carl Hodges, 21, of Clarklake pleaded guilty to larceny on Nov. 6 and said the burglary was part of a series of church break-ins to get money for drugs. Hodges admitted taking part in five church burglaries in Washtenaw County and three in Jackson County during September and October. A third suspect, Aaron Ray Hanson, 27, of Westland, is awaiting a preliminary examination in district court.

Morris was returned to jail, where he is held in lieu of a $30,000 bond while he awaits